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What We’re Reading: March 6, 2012

Here’s our morning list of a few things you should definitely read today.

Iran v. Israel

What does the rest of the world think about Obama’s show of support for Israel and muscle for Iran? The Atlantic did some research and published this summary of reactions from Israel, Iran, Dubai, Thailand and Britain.

National Security

Welp. You know that whole 14th Amendement due process clause that you thought gave you a constitutional guarantee of a day in court when accused of a crime? Yeah that one. Eric Holder says you misinterpreted it. According to The New York Times, he told a Northwestern University Law School crowd this:

“Some have argued that the president is required to get permission from a federal court before taking action against a United States citizen who is a senior operational leader of Al Qaeda or associated forces,” Mr. Holder said. “This is simply not accurate. ‘Due process’ and ‘judicial process’ are not one and the same, particularly when it comes to national security. The Constitution guarantees due process, not judicial process.”

“What we have is moms raising children in single-parent households simply breeding more criminals,” he said. When Santorum wasn’t comparing single mothers to animals, he still pressed the issue of out-of-wedlock births and crime. He told thePhiladelphia Inquirer in 1994 that “we will never solve the crime problem unless we solve the welfare problem. They are deeply intertwined.”

Police Misconduct

Time was when police had to see you on the street, claim they thought you had a gun and then kill you. Now they come to the house of senior citizens who’ve accidentally triggered the call of an ambulance, beat down their doors, Taser them and then kill them when they try to fight back. Yes, that’s what happened to a 68-year-old White Plains African-American and U.S. Marine veteran, according to The New York Times. It’s getting real out here.

Slideshow: Things Mitt Romney Loves

Poor Mitt. He’s a terribly wooden public speaker who tries to relate to voters with flat-footed declarations of love for banal shit — like the height of Michigan’s trees. And now Talking Points Memo has gone and made this funny slide show commemorating each of these banal statements. This is totally a time waster. But if you need a mental break today, go for it.